Yamaha recently announced that their BS6 range of products will feature Bluetooth enabled consoles, first to be used in the YZF series and then in the popular FZ series. The feature was first seen on KTM 390 Duke, allowing riders to enjoy connected services from the brand and their motorcycle. The most affordable version to use the technology is TVS NTorq, allowing scooter riders to enjoy navigation assist, caller ID and other exclusive features. The owner can also locate the scooter using last parked service of the NTorq. As Yamaha has recently updated the R15, getting this technology will require another year for sure. The Indian automobile market will shift to BS6 norms from April 1, 2020 and existing products may not get an extension.

This will be of great use as brands will discontinue products with higher emissions in favour of fresh options with catalytic converters and other technologies to keep the overall nitrogen oxide values lower. The current generation Yamaha consoles on the FZ series are very basic, getting just everyday values like speedometer, odometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and trip meter. Updating them will require Yamaha to use better screen quality and more width for adding practical features. Yamaha R15 has an impressive programmable display with the addition of features. Yamaha can make things better by using the same screen for all six products, replacing the semi-digital R15-S console with their newly developed version.

Speaking in an interview last month, Motofumi Shitara (Chairman) said: “There has to be fun in commuting — excitement in riding is what we are trying to bring about in our future products. We expect people to upgrade in the future and we will have a suitable portfolio to meet their needs. Majority of young customers like to have differentiated products and they are bored with the majority of the mass-market models.”